A TRIP to the House of Commons has raised thousands of pounds for a charity that helps transform the lives of disadvantaged young people.

Surrey Care Trust held a black tie dinner at the House of Commons on Friday and raised £10,000 to help provide new opportunities for education and training for young adults.

Guest speaker at the event was Donal MacIntyre, who told diners that being poor in Surrey was particularly hard because there was so much obvious wealth about.

The investigative reporter spoke about his upbringing and the work his mother had to do to raise him and his four siblings after his father left.

He added: “The work the trust is doing is making such a difference.”

As part of the trust’s work, it runs a learning centre in Woking, providing an alternate curriculum for those who are no longer in mainstream school.

It also runs the Swingbridge Community Boat, which is used as a base for training people, including many offenders, in environmental skills.

Elaine Tisdall, chief executive of the trust, said: “It was a tremendous evening.The surroundings may have been grand but there was a really warm and friendly atmosphere and we were delighted to welcome loyal, long-term supporters of the trust as well as people who were attending one of our events for the first time.

“Thank you to everyone who helped make this evening such a success, particularly our sponsor Avaya, our host, Jeremy Hunt, and all our guests.Their kindness and generosity is vital to the Surrey Care Trust.”